May 2012
NEWS
The Southwest Portland Post • 7
County librarian speaks on proposed library levy at Candidates Fair
By Lee Perlman
The Southwest Portland Post
Multnomah County’s chief librarian
Vailey Oehlke spoke at the Southwest
Candidates Fair on April 10 at the
Multnomah Center on behalf of the
proposed library levy, Measure 26-125.
Because there was no organized op-
position, the librarian did not have to
answer questions.
The ballot measure will replace the
THE COUNTRY STORE
(Continued from Page 5)
sites in “well-defined neighborhoods
where people can take the bus, walk
or take their bike,” Ray said
Journeys building (but not the
bar) for sale in the Village
Just up the street, a for-sale sign is
posted in the front yard of Journeys,
a wine bar at 7771 SW Capitol Hwy.
“I do know that the Journeys build-
ing is for sale and that Journey’s has
a long term lease so they will be the
tenant when the sale goes through,”
said Joan Steinbach, co-president
of the Multnomah Village Business
Association.
The building owner, listed in
Multnomah County property records
as “Capitol Highway LLC,” is asking
$595,000.
A real estate ad from the owners’
agent, Realty Trust Group Inc., says
the 1,748-square-foot building was
built in 1921.
current five-year library levy, which
is about to expire. She is seeking voter
approval for its renewal.
The rate, as before, will be 89 cents per
$1,000 property valuation, about $13
a month for the average homeowner,
she said.
This will account for about 65 percent
of the library’s operating funds, Oehlke
said. The Multnomah County General
Fund provides another 22 percent, and
the rest comes from library fees and
fines.
Former Pagenwood Restoring
building gets makeover
A couple doors down from Jour-
neys, a vacant building at 7783 SW
Capitol Hwy is getting an upgrade.
Tom Pagenstecher ran Pagen-
wood Restoring & Antiques out of
the building from 1983 until last
February. Workers have been clean-
ing and tearing down interior walls
laid out for the previous tenant.
“We’re just looking at options of
fixing up the building, revitalizing
it,” said Mark Schick, property man-
ager for the building.
The property, owned by the Rose
Property Management Corporation,
has been listed for lease, and there
have been inquiries, Schick said.
“We’ve had a lot of interest but
nobody has done anything perma-
nent or final,” Schick said. The list-
ing is being handled through Urban
Works Real Estate.
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The total, about $13 million, funds a
system that serves 30,000 users a day,
the second highest per capita rate of
usage of any library system in the
U.S., she said.
Multnomah County Library not only
lends out books and provides the pub-
lic a place to read them but also offers
other services such as children’s story
hours, free Internet access, and classes.
It does so out of 19 locations “with a
total square footage that is less than
Seattle’s main library,” Oehlke said.
Income from the first three years of
the previous levy exceeded expecta-
tions, and the Library prudently put
some of it into savings.
It was able to draw on this during
the next three years, when bad times
compressed property values and
reduced income for all government
services.
According to a statement by the
Library, if the levy fails most branches
would be closed, the rest would have
their hours reduced, and many ser-
vices would be cut.
Editor’s Note: The Multnomah County
Board of Commissioners has pledged to
refer a library district measure to voters
in November at a rate that fully funds the
library, should the May 15 levy be ap-
proved. If voters approve a library district
measure, it would supersede years two and
three of the levy and that level of funding
would take effect in fiscal year 2014. For
more information about Measure 26-125
visit www.librariesyes.com.
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